The invention relates in general to personal hydration devices and in particular to personal hydration devices that provide for the addition of substances into the personal water supply of an individual.
Water is essential for good health. Individuals undergoing physical exertion, in particular soldiers, athletes and the physically active members of the public, have increased water consumption needs and thus often require a personal hydration device to maintain the necessary level of hydration. In addition, it can be advantageous to introduce other substances into the drinking water for purposes such as taste enhancement, electrolyte or essential salt replacement, nutritional support, etc.
There may be several obstacles to sustaining hydration, electrolyte balance and energy status. For example, chlorinated or iodinated water commonly does not taste good thereby inhibiting water consumption. Attempting to improve electrolyte balance by simply adding sodium to chlorinated water, without flavoring, brings out the unpleasant taste of chlorine. The taste of water can be improved by adding flavorings, but flavorings almost instantly destroy residual chlorine and compromise resistance to contamination. The food intake of soldiers and other physically active people in the field is often inadequate. For example, soldiers in the field typically consume an inadequate amount of carbohydrate. However, simply adding carbohydrate to water increases the risk of mold and bacterial growth inside a personal bladder-type water reservoir. The bacterial contamination of water can cause diarrhea.
Some known devices for personal hydration with additives require a separate drink container, for example, a canteen cup, to mix the drink ingredients. In other devices, the additive is added directly to the water reservoir, thereby contaminating the water reservoir and/or compromising water resistance to contamination.
In the present invention, a separate drink container is not required for mixing the additive with the water. In addition, the user is not required to physically add water to the additive or vice versa before consumption. Furthermore, the present invention does not contaminate the water reservoir or compromise water resistance to contamination.
Typical personal bladder-type hydration systems comprise a water reservoir with a tube leading to a bite valve. The present invention improves on prior systems by allowing additives to be mixed with water just prior to being drawn through the bite valve into the user's mouth. Also, a check valve prevents contamination of the water in the reservoir. Thus, the invention provides additives to water in a manner that does not contaminate the water reservoir or compromise water resistance to contamination.
The invention enables the user to consume the nutrients or additives necessary for the chosen activity. The additives may include flavoring, macronutrients (i.e., carbohydrate, protein, fat), micronutrients (e.g., electrolytes, minerals, vitamins), aspirates, oral medications or other dietary supplements. In addition, the primary fluid may be something other than water, for example, a beverage.
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the following drawing.